It's a big day for me and I wanted to read something from my favorite book, James. May my head and heart be in the right place. Oh, and I'm making a few edits and notes as I go along...
-----------------------------
September 1, 2006
I just finished reading James 1-2. There's so much in there to take in and discuss -- it's difficult to know where to start. I suppose I'll just work my way through the chapters and point out some ideas or statements that really grabbed me or made me think. Today I read from the Message translation, so thats what I'll quote from.
1:2-4's statement that your faith-life is forced into the open when under pressure really struck me. As a new Freshman in college (NOTE: And still today as a sophomore!), I'm in a period of drastic change and pressure. I am seeing in myself that my faith and sense of self are really being tested in this environment. It gets tough being in this new world with so many different people who believe all sorts of things. But I do know that this struggle will only make me stronger, because it helps me to realize my need to depend upon God. Like 1:5-8 says, I should "pray to the Father" when I need help, and I should do so boldly, "without a second thought"! It's so encouraging to know that He loves to help me.
The verses from 1:13-18 are an interesting dichotomy of perspectives concerning good and evil. Even though we sometimes find ourselves or our friends blaming God for the difficulties or evils in our lives, those evils come only from our own hearts. Our wrong desires build up, and "Lust gets pregnant and has a baby: sin!" But all that is good comes from God, "cascading down from the Father of Light." We have evil living within our hearts; God, however is nothing but Goodness and Truth. (May He reshape our hearts and change our ways to His own!)
1:22-25 held some personally challenging things to say. I am all too often guilty of "letting the Word go in one ear and out the other." Whether I am reading a passage for the sake of getting through it and not thinking more deeply about how it applies to my own life, or letting my attention slide when a prayer or discussion of faith is taking place, I need some help and strength and in this area. (This is always a struggle, but I think it's important to realize this fact and be vigilant about actively pursuing God and staying connected to the Word and Spirit.)
Action is the key to solving my failures, however.. By acting upon God's word (in whatever manner it is delivered) and taking a moment to sit back and think deeply about how it affects me, I am blessed with "delight and affirmation"!
In 1:26-27 I found another message that truly gripped me and held my ear: "Real religion [...] is (to) reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world." (This creed, in various translations, is a passage that has moved me and haunted me for some time now. I am trying to live it out as my mission statement.) His mission is twofold -- I must take care of those who are unable to take care of themselves, and I must watch my own heart to keep a vigilant stand against corruption. This is a little bit hard to understand and I'm still working it out, but I think that it means that service and a sense of unassailable holiness are two things that I ought to strive for.
Chapter 2 opens with a convicting hypothetical situation that is all too often played out, especially in my own heart and mind. Verses 1-13 describe a rich man and a poor beggar entering a church. If I deem the rich man to be worthy of the finest seat but offer the lowly street person either a seat in the back or nothing, I have no concept of the Kingdom of God. I am not a judge. It is not my place to say who is more deserving of honor or salvation.
We have heard that the last shall be first and the first shall be last, and this passage makes it very clear that God is serious about that statement. "He chose the world's down-and-out as the kingdom's first citizens," and those who make themselves out to be important people place their own vanity above God. Of course, such pride makes it nearly impossible for God to work in the life of such a person. I must not let myself become vain, nor must I think that a person in good standing with the world is in good standing with God.
2:14-26 closes the chapter by recalling the message of works that was hinted at in chapter 1. Repeatedly stating that the separation of faith and works yields a corpse, these verses urge us as Believers to match what we say with what we do. We must each take it upon ourselves to make our actions (as well as our words ) testaments to the Goodness and Truth of our Lord God. After all, a man who claims to be a humanitarian but does not give the beggar on the street a piece of bread is terribly hypocritical. (This really gets me right now. Lately I've struggled with a conflict between the desire to help the homeless people who come up to me here in Nashville, and my own distrust of them. I always assume they're either fakers or booze addicts who don't deserve my money. Even if I can't give them my change, I can always offer them some food and talk to them, treating each person with respect and love.) This hypocrisy is one of the greatest turn-offs to faith in the modern world. If we are to show others the Love of Christ, we must live that love outwardly.
That's all I have for now, having worked my way through chapters 1 and 2. I didn't touch on everything and I am quite sure that i missed some important points and got a few things wrong, but as a personal study of the word I really felt a blessing from taking this active and purposeful approach to Bible study.
-Robert.
No comments:
Post a Comment